The gaping holes that the blaze tore into the vaulted ceilings have been filled in with new, cream stonework. ITV News Reporter Will Tullis has more.
Five years on from a devastating fire, Notre Dame Cathedral showed its new self to the world on Friday, ahead of it’s reopening next month.
Images from an official visit by French President Emmanuel Macron showed the refreshed inside of the iconic cathedral in Paris.
Gaping holes, that the blaze tore into the vaulted ceilings, have been filled in with new, cream stonework.
The fire in April 2019 ripped through the 861-year-old building for more than 24 hours and was thought to have been started accidentally by either a cigarette or an electrical short-circuit.
It was extinguished before spreading to the Northern belfry, but collapsed the main spire, roof and wooden frame.
Joined by a group of 700 artisans, architects, business leaders, and donors, Macron was paying tribute to the craftsmanship and dedication behind the restoration effort.
The visit kicks off a series of events ushering in the reopening of the 12th-century Gothic cathedral.
Macron will return on December 7 to deliver an address and attend the consecration of the new altar during a Solemn Mass the following day.
The Notre Dame will reopen to visitors and resume church services from December 8.
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